from operator import itemgetter

DEBUG = False # like the built-in __debug__

def spermutations(n):
    """permutations by swapping. Yields: perm, sign"""
    sign = 1
    p = [[i, 0 if i == 0 else -1] # [num, direction]
         for i in range(n)]

    if DEBUG: print ' #', p
    yield tuple(pp[0] for pp in p), sign

    while any(pp[1] for pp in p): # moving
        i1, (n1, d1) = max(((i, pp) for i, pp in enumerate(p) if pp[1]),
                           key=itemgetter(1))
        sign *= -1
        if d1 == -1:
            # Swap down
            i2 = i1 - 1
            p[i1], p[i2] = p[i2], p[i1]
            # If this causes the chosen element to reach the First or last
            # position within the permutation, or if the next element in the
            # same direction is larger than the chosen element:
            if i2 == 0 or p[i2 - 1][0] > n1:
                # The direction of the chosen element is set to zero
                p[i2][1] = 0
        elif d1 == 1:
            # Swap up
            i2 = i1 + 1
            p[i1], p[i2] = p[i2], p[i1]
            # If this causes the chosen element to reach the first or Last
            # position within the permutation, or if the next element in the
            # same direction is larger than the chosen element:
            if i2 == n - 1 or p[i2 + 1][0] > n1:
                # The direction of the chosen element is set to zero
                p[i2][1] = 0
        if DEBUG: print ' #', p
        yield tuple(pp[0] for pp in p), sign

        for i3, pp in enumerate(p):
            n3, d3 = pp
            if n3 > n1:
                pp[1] = 1 if i3 < i2 else -1
                if DEBUG: print ' # Set Moving'


if __name__ == '__main__':
    from itertools import permutations

    for n in (3, 4):
        print '\nPermutations and sign of %i items' % n
        sp = set()
        for i in spermutations(n):
            sp.add(i[0])
            print('Perm: %r Sign: %2i' % i)
            #if DEBUG: raw_input('?')
        # Test
        p = set(permutations(range(n)))
        assert sp == p, 'Two methods of generating permutations do not agree'